Hospital Conversations
by icequeen75947
Summary: After the war, Hermione and Draco lead separate lives. A Muggle medical condition in Draco's son and a fatal disease in Hermione is where they intersect.
1. A Certain Disease

Hello everyone! Thanks for clicking on my story. This is my first attempt at writing Harry Potter fanfiction, but constructive criticism is welcome. I will update every week on Saturdays unless something comes up. Happy reading!

Draco lay in his bedroom, unable to shut his mind off enough to fall asleep. He resisted the urge to take another dose of Dreamless Sleep for he feared he would become addicted to the potion. Had he been alone in life, he would have ingested a poison to end his existence months ago-but he did not have a choice. No choice. Those sympathetic enough called him The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Have-A-Choice or The-Boy-Who-Made-All-the-Wrong-Choices. What choice did he have now? He had a year old son whom he had to raise on his own. Astoria said she felt shackled in their marriage and hated her own son enough that made her demand for a divorce the moment she had given birth to Scorpius. She said she was done with their farce of a marriage and that she had bigger plans waiting for her in Paris.

One time. They had been together once together to conceive Scorpius and after that she started an affair with some unknown man in France. It hurt that she could not find comfort in him, her own husband, but the arranged marriage killed off the bit of happiness that Astoria had prior to their liaison. Her parents hated the Malfoy name when the betrothal contract had been signed, but with the lack of other male suitors at the time, the patriarch made do with the best option he had. Given her father's disposition and her mother's utter disdain, none of the Greengrass family members thought much of the divorce-on the contrary, it appeared they encouraged it. Astoria would leave the marriage with a hefty sum of money, free of the damaged son she never wanted, and could leave for France with nothing tying her down.

Draco had not seen it coming. He considered himself perceptive of his environment and thought that he could accurately read those around him, yet Astoria deceived himself so masterfully. The bed of lies she weaved… he fell for it. How could she leave? Did she truly not love her son-the boy that was so precious and angelic—that she could leave with no regrets? Apparently. The beautiful son he now fathered had a Muggle disease that impaired his learning ability-or so the healers said. In the Muggle World, it was something called Christianson Syndrome. This disorder caused Scorpius to have difficulty with coordination and limited his ability to walk-if he ever did learn to walk. He also had minor epilepsy issues and would never be able to speak proper words—he would only ever babble and make sounds as he drooled happily. Despite his disease, Scorpius always had a happy attitude and always laughed, even at the most random times. Draco had no choice but to go to Muggle hospitals for medication and proper treatments for his son as no one in the Wizarding World knew a thing about this disease. He loved his son for all his imperfections, but those imperfections drove Astoria away.

A small cry from the adjacent room brought Draco out of his musings and into reality. _Scorpius._ His baby boy needed him. Draco pulled himself off the bed and walked briskly down the short hallway to his son's nursery. As he reached the door, he realized that his mother had gotten there first. Narcissa cradled his son close to her breast and cooed sweet nothings to him. While her son recovered from his recent bout of depression, Narcissa came back to Malfoy Manor to help care for her grandson. She was the only active grandparent in Scorpius' life because Lucius had refused to acknowledge an imperfect heir. While he loved Draco, he could not find it in his small heart to love a boy afflicted with a Muggle disease. Narcissa paced around the nursery, continuing to whisper into her grandson's ear. After a few moments of observation, he cleared his throat and announced himself.

"Mother," said Draco. He winced at his raspy voice. Perhaps that double shot of Firewhiskey was a bad idea.

"Darling you should rest," replied Narcissa. She glanced up at her son and took in his unkempt appearance. Draco had not properly taken care of himself in months and it showed. As much as she loved her son, her grandson could not be exposed to a man who still had recovery to go through. "You ought to go shower and eat some food. Scorpius needs a healthy father." Draco stared back at her with glass eyes and slowly nodded in submission. He turned to leave the room but glanced back at his son before tearing his eyes away and retreating to the master bathroom.

Narcissa sighed softly into Scorpius' downy hair and gave his forehead a feather-light kiss. "What are we going to do about your father, little one?"

Hermione Granger looked up from her spot on the living room floor and glanced at the time. It was approaching 5:30 and Harry would come promptly at 6:00 to pick up his eldest son from her care. Three-year-old James Sirius Potter slept quietly in the crib after a long afternoon of flying around her flat, breaking several toy soldiers, and eating through a full pack of Gold Fish. Truly adorable, but Hermione knew that she would soon no longer be able to care for him.

It had been a few years since the end of the war but the scars still remained. Hermione, like the rest of her friends, suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She dreamt nightly about her torture at Malfoy Manor and the faces of the many who died at the Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix Lestrange cropped up quite frequently. Her face, along with another unnamed Death Eater's face haunted her nights and days. Contrary to what the wizarding public thought, Bellatrix was not the only person who tortured her in that household. The unnamed Death Eater had raped her in that short amount of time it took for the boys to break out of their cell. And none of the Malfoys helped. Each of them stood and watched the atrocity unfold. She wanted to find it in her heart to forgive the platinum blond that had once called her awful names and scorned her blood status, but she could not find it in her at the moment. She had let go of some of her anger towards Narcissa Malfoy for she had set up Harry in the optimal position to defeat Voldemort, even if it was for selfish reasons.

In the aftermath of the war, she had a healer from St. Mungos examine her for extensive injuries. Fleur had done her best at Shell Cottage to fix her up, but she still had to check and see if she were pregnant. Fortuitously, lady luck was on her side and she turned out negative for that. Life had gone on after that day. Her initial kiss with Ron solidified in her head that while she cared for Ron, she certainly could not date him. Hermione made her boundaries clear with Ron and he acquiesced to her feelings. She assisted in the re-building of Hogwarts and worked returned to finish her seventh year at Hogwarts. It was a few days after her graduation that she felt off. She had strange abdominal pains and felt fatigued and bloated every day. When she reflected, Hermione realized she could not remember the last time she had her period.

The healers at St. Mungos could not figure out what her disease was so she consulted Muggle doctors and their science. A week after she graduated from Hogwarts, Hermione received her diagnosis: ovarian cancer. After that appointment, she went home and cried at her misfortune. She knew that she had a fair chance at survival, but it shocked her into seclusion. When Harry and Ron realized her reclusiveness, they inquired and found out about her condition. Both were thrown at the unexpected bombshell, but promised to be there for her through her battle. Why oh why? What did she do to deserve this? She had begun treatment for her affliction immediately and had taken all the medicine prescribed but they were not working efficiently. Consequently, her doctors recommended her to stay in the hospital for closer observation. She would start intensive treatment tomorrow in a Muggle hospital and would have to face her problems tomorrow. She wished she could divorce herself from this disease, but she had no choice. No choice.

6:00 rolled around and the Floo in her fireplace roared to life and admitted one Harry Potter into her living room. He smiled ruefully at her and gave her a tight embrace.

"Feel okay Hermione?" he asked. Harry had stopped by every day since her diagnosis and Hermione thought it rather sweet of him.

"Stop fretting Harry. I will see the doctors tomorrow, but for now, leave it alone," Hermione replied. Harry frowned a little at her abrupt dismissal of the elephant in the room. He scooped up his sleeping son with one arm and touched her wrist with the other. "Regardless of what happens, we love you 'Mione." Hermione cracked a small smile at his words and Harry went on his way. She turned and trekked to the kitchen where her medicine bottles sat waiting for her on the counter. _Well, if I die, I certainly will not die alone._


	2. A Fortuitous Meeting

**Disclaimer** : I forgot to put this in the first chapter, but I am obviously not the hugely successfully J.K. Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter. I simply am using her characters but I make no profit off these stories.

Also, thank you to the six reviewers who dropped me a comment in the previous chapter! You have no idea how happy that makes me.

One last note: Harry did not marry Ginny in this story. Instead, he married Luna for reasons that will be explained in the next chapter.

Happy Reading!

Draco woke up to the sound of giggles at the foot of his bed. He pushed himself up to his elbows and his son greeted him with his customary goofy smile. Seeing Scorpius brought a soft smile to his face as well. Despite his many struggles, he pushed through everyday so his son would not be alone in a world that still did not quite accept him. His mother, Narcissa, while still not completely liked, faced far less adversity as a result of her lie to the Dark Lord. Narcissa garnered quite some attention at her public trial—Harry Potter was after all testifying at her trial. The-Witch-Who-Lied was what the public now called her. The Wizengamot eventually acquitted Narcissa of her crimes as they did Draco, but much of the public found it easier to forgive the mother who lied to save her son as opposed to the boy who committed supposed heinous acts. Regardless, two of the Malfoy family members re-evaluated their beliefs while the Malfoy patriarch remained rooted in his traditions. As much as he loved his family, he could not move on from the past. In his mind, he was still entitled to certain privileges even though he was still on house arrest and would remain stuck in his home for many more years.

Pushing back his darker thoughts, Draco leant down and picked up his son who had tried to pick himself up and climb, rather unsuccessfully due to his disorder, up the bed. Scorpius immediately snuggled into his father's chest and warmth and Draco cradled his son carefully in his arms.

"How did you get in here Scor?" mused his father. His son just let loose another peal of laughter as his answer. Draco was not about to argue.

DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG

Hermione looked up from the floor of her bedroom and heard her Floo roar to life. _Minerva must be here._ Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione and Minerva had struck up a close friendship. Minerva had taken Hermione under her wing as an apprentice and trained her to become the next Transfiguration professor. However, since she became incapacitated due to cancer, she relinquished her apprenticeship and focused all her efforts into healing her broken body. Despite this, Minerva came every week to visit Hermione and discuss the latest in Transfiguration and she agreed to accompany Hermione to the Muggle hospital. Sure enough, the silhouette of Hogwarts current Headmistress came into the threshold of her sanctuary.

"Good morning Hermione. I trust you slept well," said Minerva.

"Reasonably well," she replied. "At least, as well as I could have given the current situation." Hermione tried not to think about the inevitable and the high possibility that she could die from the cancer that ravaged her body, but there was very little she could do but put her faith in the doctors and the treatment.

"Are you ready to depart?" asked Minerva.

"Yes, just let me get my coat," said Hermione. She walked down the hallway to grab her coat. She could have summoned it using magic, but she realized that the more she used her magic, the quicker it drained from her body. The use of her magic would kill her faster so Hermione resolved to use as little as possible, instead turning to Muggle methods to complete her daily tasks. Turning around, she glanced one last time at her flat and inhaled knowing that she might never see her humble home again.

"I'm ready Minerva."

DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG

"You should get ready love. Scorpius' doctor appointment is in less than 30 minutes." Draco looked at his mother and saw that she had already dressed herself and her grandson—impeccably as always. He glanced down at his nightclothes and considered for a moment turning up to the Muggle hospital in his current fashion, but a sharp glance from his mother struck that idea immediately from his mind. He gave an audible sigh and dragged himself from his study and trekked back to his room to groom himself and change his clothing.

Scorpius had another appointment today at the hospital. His medications needed to be rotated again. The most recent drugs had not improved his condition, rather worsened it. Dr. Lyle claimed that he might have found the right balance of drugs to help his son and his developmental issues. Draco hoped dearly that it would work. He wanted better for his child, and to see him suffer from epilepsy broke his heart.

"Draco! We need to leave now or we will be late!" called Narcissa. She had been extremely impatient recently due to her estrangement with her husband. While she still loved him dearly, she was torn over the fact that Lucius could not love his only grandchild. Scorpius, in his eyes, represented failure—a son who could not think properly, walk properly, nor speak properly would not have the ability to bring glory to the Malfoy name and would surely be unable to work in any normal capacity. As such, Lucius refused to let his grandchild come to Malfoy Manor and upon his first birthday, threatened to disown him. At that point, Narcissa flew into a fury and presented him with an ultimatum—she would divorce him if he disowned the Malfoy heir. As much as Lucius could not stand Scorpius, his love for his wife meant more to him and he acquiesced to her demands. Even with the threats from her, Lucius did not change his behavior and this drove Narcissa to leave the Manor and live with her son at Grandage Settlement where she helped Draco. Her distance from her husband coupled with Scorpius' health issues left Narcissa in a slightly foul mood. Earlier in the morning Lucius owled her, asking for forgiveness and begging her to come home. As he was on house arrest, he could not leave his house to force his wife to come home to him, so he sent owls and expensive gifts instead. The aurors that guarded him found it rather pitiful to see the husk of the man but also found sadistic enjoyment in it too.

Draco left his room and descended the stairs that led to the parlor. He stopped and looked at the sitting room that had been blocked off just after the war ended. He thought of the events that transpired in that room and thought to himself that he did not do anything to stop what had happened. He thought of the innocent muggleborns and the torturous screams that still haunted him, he thought of his insane Aunt Bellatrix's cackling laugh, but most importantly, he thought of Hermione Granger whom he failed to save. He would never admit it to anyone but himself that he held certain feelings for the brunette—not romantic feelings—but feelings of regret. He had done nothing and watched as a girl he had hated since he was eleven tortured at the hands of a madwoman. He never did get in touch with her after the Dark Lord fell for he never had the courage to apologize for his shortcomings. Draco had no idea how Granger and the Weasel and Scarhead were now living their lives. He could not care less about the Weasel, but he had to thank Potter for saving him from Azkaban and he had amends to make with Granger. No matter how many times Draco tried to draft a letter to either of those two, it always came out wrong. He knew he had to do something, but he did not have the bravery—he was a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor.

"DRACO NOW!" his mother yelled from below the staircase."

DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG DMHG

Hermione and Minerva landed in St. Jude's hospital and made their way over to the receptionist's desk.

"Appointment with Dr. Murray for patient Hermione Granger," Minerva said.

"Just a moment," said the receptionist. Both witches sat down in a comfortable silence while waiting for their doctor. This particular hospital was organized by floor level. Each level treated different ailments or specialized in certain areas. Cancer treatment was on the third floor, which interested Hermione, but every patient had to stop on the first floor before proceeding elsewhere.

While mentor and apprentice waited, the door opened to admit someone else. Hermione paid no attention until she heard that voice.

"Appointment with Dr. Lyle for patient Scorpius Malfoy."

"Just a moment Mr. Malfoy," said the receptionist. Hermione turned her head toward the desk and locked eyes with a certain platinum blonde-haired man. He stared at her and his jaw dropped.

"Granger?"


	3. An Attempted Apology

**Chapter 3 An Attempted Apology**

 **Author's Note:** Hello everyone! I know that I've been gone for months now, but I have been battling constant sickness thanks to my diagnosis with Graves' Disease. I will go in for radiation soon and the meds my doctors put me on make it difficult for me to concentrate. Having said all of that, I have every intention of finishing this story. Updates may come irregularly until I can improve my health, but for now, please enjoy.

Also, many things are different from J.K. Rowling's original story. Most of this stuff obviously isn't canon, but for the purposes and intents of the story, let's just go with it. Thanks to all the reviewers from the last chapter! They truly make my day. As for the question of whether or not this will be a sad story or a happy story, you'll just have to keep reading.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Harry Potter nor am I the successful J.K. Rowling. I make no money off this story, but I do get a lot of enjoyment from it!

Draco stared in shock at Hermione Granger's face. Why was she here at this hospital? Why was McGonagall here with her? Was she hurt? Did she need help? What did she do to warrant a trip to the hospital? Would she forgive him? Hundreds of questions ran through his brain, but he could not seem to use his mouth properly to form words and coherent thoughts. His mouth opened and closed multiple times but nothing came out. Granger stared back at him with a look of puzzlement, and then suddenly her face morphed into an expression of utter contempt and barely disguised rage.

"Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy," she acknowledged. She made no attempt at initiating conversation and McGonagall spoke up.

"Mr. Malfoy, lovely to see you here. As much as I have missed you, Miss Granger and I would appreciate it if you and your mother left the two of us alone." McGonagall's tone left nothing up to argue. Draco stared at her and indignantly tried to protest, but was interrupted.

"Miss Hermione Granger?" called a nurse. Both witches stood up and the nurse escorted them through the double doors into the specified wings. Draco sat down in one of the seats in the waiting room looking numbly at his hands. As he watched the retreating backside of both women, he wondered quietly to himself why Granger would come to a hospital. She looked completely fine…

"Mr. Malfoy?" called out a young nurse from the doorway. Draco looked up and grabbed his son's hand and stood with his mother. The family crossed the threshold back into the consultation rooms. As the nurse made small talk, Narcissa replied kindly to the inquiries, sensing her son needed time to gather himself. Scorpius babbled to himself nonsensically, completely unaware of the unease radiating off his father. The conversation turned and focused on his son's condition and Draco snapped back into reality.

Line Break

"How do you feel Miss Granger?" questioned her doctor. She was a kindly woman, astute, and rather plump around her waistband. Regardless of her appearance, Dr. Murray was one of the few doctors Hermione implicitly trusted. A squib descended from a lesser known American pureblood family, she had intimate knowledge of the war and the atrocities committed.

"The usual: fatigued and bloated. I constantly use the bathroom and my menstrual cycle has changed again," Hermione listed. If she were truthful with herself, she felt awful. As much as she tried to downplay her injurious body, she had to face reality—a reality that meant the end of her current lifestyle. Minerva squeezed her hand reassuringly and gave her a gentle smile that Hermione nearly missed. After forming their friendship, Hermione learned to look for the small things that Minerva did to support.

"Based upon the testing we conducted before at your previous appointment, my team of specialists and I have decided that the best course of action lies in radiation therapy" said Dr. Murray. Minerva looked over in confusion—after spending much of her adult life in the Wizarding World, her knowledge of the Muggle world was slightly outdated. Understanding her quizzical look, Dr. Murray continued, "Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays or particles to kill cancer cells. These x-rays may be given in a procedure that is much like having a regular (diagnostic) x-ray. The radiologists will administer the radiation treatment five days a week for multiple weeks until we can neutralize the cancerous areas." Hermione nodded her head at the medical jargon and sat quietly in her seat. She had hoped she could have avoided this method.

"Is there any other treatment method available that would produce the same results?" Dr. Murray fixed her gaze on her patient with a sympathetic look and shook her head. "Typically we would use the radiation therapy in conjunction with another method, but we believe this will work best for your situation. Ultimately it's your decision."

Hermione bowed her head and closed her eyes. She felt Minerva's comforting hand upon her own and Hermione leaned into her former mentor's warmth and strength. _Come on Granger. You can do this. You've faced far scarier situations than some radioactive beams. You want to get better don't you?_ Hermione steeled her nerves and looked up at the cool black eyes of the woman who would try and save her life.

"Let's do it."

Line Break~

Scorpius' giggles filled the consultation room as the Malfoy family waited quietly for Dr. Lyle to come in and set the date for the next appointment. She had stated the new medication should work better than the previous medicine had. The doctor prescribed it and needed to set up another appointment. As his son amused himself, Draco stared at his mother. He knew that his mother's heart panged and ached for her absent husband. Despite all the acts his father committed and his cowardly tendencies during the war, Lucius cared for his family…except for his disabled son. After the years of giving out her heart to people who hurt her, she had to protect her own from others—including her husband. That didn't stop her from loving Lucius in spite of all his faults. In these respite moments, Draco could feel his mother's thoughts trailing towards her husband. Her stream of consciousness went back to him far more often than she would like to admit, but her resolve remained firm.

 _Mudblood._ Draco's eyes widened and wondered where in the hell that errant thought came from. While in his youth he threw the word around with no care as to who it hurt, he refused to use that word after the war. _Granger._ He sighed aloud and pondered her yet again. What was taking these doctors so long? He needed air. He needed to get out.

"Mother, I'm going to the bathroom," said Draco. She nodded absently as he left the room. Draco wasn't sure where he wanted to go. He turned the corner and found himself in the lobby.

"You're all set Miss Granger. We will see you in a few weeks!" came a high-pitched voice. _Granger._ Draco turned his head and saw her again standing in front of him. Her back was to him and McGonagall was nowhere in sight. "Why not you sit down while you wait for your friend?" suggested the receptionist. Hermione nodded and sat down at the nearest seat. She looked up and saw Draco staring back at her.

"Malfoy."

"Granger."


End file.
